1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control panel apparatus for electronic devices, which is suitable for electronic devices such as facsimile devices, etc.
2. Related Background Art
With progress of information processing systems, a variety of information processing devices have been developed recently. Among these devices, the apparatus, for example such as facsimile devices and printers, are becoming widely used not only in offices, but also in ordinary homes.
Those having only a single function, out of such information processing devices, used a wide setting area for the instant function to require.
There are, however, recent demands to decrease the space by incorporating some information processing devices with different functions into a unit. For example, there are developed apparatus in which a facsimile device is incorporated with a printer etc. using a common recording means (as will be hereinafter referred to as a composite facsimile device).
Since the composite facsimile device has a variety of functions and thus needs control input switches (pushbutton switches, key switches, etc.) for controlling the respective functions, a lot of control input switches are inevitably jammed in the control panel. Therefore, the conventional apparatus had drawbacks that the switches were not readily discriminated from each other when a user used it and that the costs increased because of an increase in the number of switches.